US Tariffs on EU Goods

Lord Dodds of Duncairn Excerpts

Tuesday 18th March 2025 Lords Chamber

[Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Lab)]

Comprehensive guidance is available on GOV.UK and businesses can contact HMRC for more information about the reimbursement schemes. I will take back the noble Lord’s general comment about how we can improve those communications.

[Lord Dodds of Duncairn (DUP)]

My Lords, the fundamental problem is that part of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, is forced to impose tariffs on US imports in a situation where the rest of the UK may not. That is without any reference to the UK Government, this Parliament, the Northern Ireland Government or the Northern Ireland legislature, so that colonial set-up has to be rectified. In the absence of a rectification of the fundamental problem, the Minister referred to the tariff reimbursement scheme, but the head of Manufacturing NI said in the Financial Times that the scheme is “nonsense” and full of red tape, and that

“few companies have been able to successfully navigate it”.

He knows about business. Is he right, or do the Government know better?

[Baroness Jones of Whitchurch (Lab)]

The duty reimbursement scheme is an established scheme that businesses have been using to make successful claims since 30 June 2023. As I have said, comprehensive guidance is available on GOV.UK and businesses can contact HMRC if they need more information to support their claims.